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EFF leader Julius Malema has lamented the “Hollywood-style” arrests of the Hawks, calling for them to be confronted in the same way the ANC did with the Scorpions.
During an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Thursday, Malema said he had a problem with the way the businessmen and ANC benefactor Edwin Sodi were arrested.
Sodi, allegedly the mastermind behind the asbestos project that raised 255 million rand in contracts in the Free State, was part of a group of 16 people arrested on corruption, fraud and money laundering charges.
The Hawks arrested Sodi in Johannesburg in the company of journalists in what some called a “Hollywood-style” arrest. The Hawks took Sodi from her home in light of the news cameras.
This style of arrest was heavily criticized by some ANC leaders, including Secretary General Ace Magashule, who also suspected that he would soon receive the same treatment from law enforcement.
“You can’t hold Sodi responsible [by] handcuffing him like he’s a common criminal when the guy has cooperated with him [Zondo] commission and with the police.
“If they had asked Sodi to come to Bloemfontein, how much money would they have saved the state? Sodi has been going to [Zondo] commission for yourself. The state has no financial obligation to bring you to the [Zondo] commission. The men with the stolen money that they allege would have driven to Bloemfontein. “
Malema warned that the humiliation of the suspects by the Hawks and the National Prosecutor’s Office would escalate to beatings and murders.
He accused the NPA of continuing the Scorpions’ method of arrest by “projecting people as criminals.”
“Even when they are later acquitted, they will still have that video on YouTube and that thing is wrong. Sipho Ngwema’s strategy is wrong and he must be faced in the same way that he faced before Polokwane.
“Don’t arrest people Hollywood-style. Do it in a dignified way; at the end of the day, these people will go to jail.
“South Africans should be concerned about the Constitution. South Africans should care about the rights of our people. They must care about the dignity of each individual, even if [they are] accused of obscene crimes, because you know what will happen? The beating is coming.
“They (the forces of public order) are going to start beating them and after the beating, the killing will continue. It starts out very small. It doesn’t matter how you are arrested, but defend your dignity, ”Malema said.
Ngwema, who served as a spokesperson for the NPA’s elite anti-corruption arm, the Scorpions, prior to its dissolution, was recently appointed as the NPA’s spokesperson.
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